article · Vaccine X
A study conducted in Dokolo district in northern Uganda evaluated COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among healthcare workers using a mixed-methods approach. Among 346 health workers surveyed, 13.3 percent reported reluctance to receive the vaccine. Qualitative insights gathered from 15 key informant interviews supplemented the quantitative findings. Statistical analysis revealed that fear of adverse side effects significantly increased the likelihood of hesitancy. Additionally, an absence of trust in the information disseminated by health authorities was a major contributing factor, showing a strong association with reluctance. Overall, apprehension regarding side effects, distrust in the vaccines, and scepticism towards vaccine stakeholders served as the main barriers to uptake. The findings indicate that the shortage of reliable vaccine safety details undermined confidence in official communications, driving vaccine hesitancy among rural health personnel.
Healthcare workers are typically prioritised for vaccination to sustain medical services during health crises. Understanding why some rural personnel remain reluctant provides public health leaders with clear evidence on the need for transparent safety information. Addressing specific concerns regarding side effects and rebuilding trust in institutional messaging are critical steps to maintaining high immunisation coverage among frontline providers.
The abstract does not indicate an application pathway or commercial product, as it is an observational public health study focused on behavioral barriers. However, the findings could inform public health organisations, non-governmental agencies, and health communications teams seeking to design targeted educational interventions for rural healthcare staff. This evidence represents applied descriptive research rather than a marketable technology.
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Background: COVID-19 vaccination is the latest preventive intervention strategy in an attempt to control the global pandemic. Its efficacy has come under scrutiny because of break through infections among the vaccinated and need for booster doses. Besides, although health workers were prioritized for COVID-19 vaccine in most countries, anecdotal evidence points to high levels of reluctance to take the vaccine among health workers. We assessed COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among health workers in Dokolo district, northern Uganda. Methods: This was a mixed-method, cross-sectional descriptive study. A customised self-administered data collection tool was used to collect quantitative data on characteristics, vaccination status and factors for or rejection of vaccine uptake. We conducted multivariable logistic regression to assess the association between selected exposures and vaccine hesitancy using Stata version 15. Conversely, qualitative data were collected using key informant interviews (KIIs) among 15 participants that were purposively selected. Data were analysed using thematic content analysis with the help of NVivo 12.0. Results: Of the 346 health workers enrolled, (13.3% [46/346]) were vaccine hesitant. Factors associated with vaccine hesitancy included fear of side effects (Adjusted Odds Ratio [AOR]: 2.55; 95% Confidence Interval [95%CI]: 1.00, 6.49) and health workers' lack of trust in the information provided by health authorities (AOR: 6.74; 95% CI: 2.43, 18.72). Similar factors were associated with vaccine hesitancy when we used the vaccine hesitancy score. Fear of side effects, distrust in vaccine stakeholders, and lack of trust in the vaccine were barriers to COVID-19 vaccination among health workers. Conclusion: A small proportion of health workers were found to be hesitant to take the COVID-19 vaccine in this study. The paucity of COVID-19 vaccine safety information, which eroded the health workers' trust in the information they received on the vaccine, was responsible for health workers hesitancy to take up the vaccine in Uganda.
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DOI: 10.1016/j.jvacx.2023.100260
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